Independent veterinarian-owned practices remain under the control of one or more practicing veterinarians, with business and medical decisions generally made locally.
Private equity-backed consolidators, by contrast, purchase veterinary hospitals and bundle them into larger regional or national networks. The database shows multiple VetnCare facilities in Contra Costa County, as well as Oakland, San Francisco, and farther afield in Northern California.
California dog owner Francis Wong created the database after he said his dachshund, Pluto, died following treatment at a clinic he later discovered was owned by a private equity-backed company.
Wong said he launched the site to help pet owners identify who ultimately owns veterinary practices and better understand the rapid consolidation reshaping the profession.
Wong has said his website’s goal extends beyond tracking private equity firms. The site also documents layers of ownership by large corporate operators and the smaller veterinary companies they acquire.